


Believer

by Artemis_Sherwood, cassieisfab



Category: American Gods (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Polyamory, and probably some odin/oc stuff bc whoops that's a thing i like, i created a brand spanking new maori god and a new catholic saint for this, no blasphemy intended, not really an au but it's still canon divergent in the first half of the story, the second half is pretty much canon compliant, will eventually have some smut/hate fucking/love making
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 06:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11800227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Sherwood/pseuds/Artemis_Sherwood, https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassieisfab/pseuds/cassieisfab
Summary: Mr. Wednesday needs the help of two very isolated, very unknown gods - well, at least one of them is a god - to help wage his war against the New Gods. And everything seemed to be going to plan until his charge/unofficial bodyguard and leprechaun messenger fall for the two gods he's managed to recruit to his cause.(This story includes polyamory, a fictional Māori genderfluid god, a fictional Catholic saint, both of them being married, and both of them falling love with & having a relationship with Shadow & Sweeney. Plus some Odin/Wednesday smooches at some point, although it's very brief. So if that's not something you're interested in, then that's okay! Just find another story.)





	Believer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cassieisfab](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassieisfab/gifts).



Shadow had hardly unbuckled his seatbelt when Wednesday spoke, stopping him mid motion. “I should probably warn you, Shadow. These two, they’re very queer,” he said slowly.

Shadow furrowed his brows. “You mean they’re strange?”

“He means,” said Sweeney, jumping out of the back seat, “they’re ragin’ homosexuals.”

Wednesday sighed. “For the most part.”

Stunned into silence, Shadow watched as Wednesday got out of the car. He shook his head and followed suite a few moments later, trailing after the two men as they approached the rain stained house. Wednesday looked over his shoulder to check that Shadow was following, waiting at the base of the two step walkway that led to a tiny patio.

“And when I say a bit queer,” he continued once Shadow had caught up, “I mean they’re incredibly queer.”

Shadow frowned, glancing at Sweeney as the Irishman hovered by a potted plant, an uncomfortable expression darkening his face, then glanced back at Wednesday. “Uh, okay. I’m not really sure why you feel the need to warn me because it’s not like I give a shit, but isn’t it offensive to, y’know, call gay people queer?”

A thoughtful expression replaced Wednesday’s previously neutral one, drawing his eyebrows up slightly. He started up the steps and rapped his knuckles against the door. Turning back to Shadow, Wednesday smiled and it made Shadow only slightly uncomfortable. “It’s only offensive if you’re straight, Shadow.”

A raindrop landed on Shadow’s temple and he started in realization. “Wait, what-.”

Behind the metal screen door, another door opened and Shadow could just make out a silhouette. “Can I help you?” said a woman’s voice, low and smooth. Wednesday took a breath, but couldn’t even get a word in before the woman said, incredulously, “Sweeney?”

The second door unlocked and opened towards the trio to reveal a woman, about a foot shorter than Sweeney, wearing a loose fitting summer dress and glasses. She stepped onto the patio, her bare feet pale and stark against the slick wood.

“What are you doing here?”

Wednesday’s eyebrows had shot into the air and he looked between Sweeney and the woman, the cogs turning rapidly in his head. “You two know each other?” he said, less a question than an accusation.

“We’re acquaintances,” Sweeney explained, his jaw unusually tight.

The woman nodded hesitantly, searching Sweeney’s eyes for an explanation. Her own eyes moved to rest on Shadow, then Wednesday, and Shadow could tell she was uneasy by the way she seemed to fold in on herself, her arms crossing tightly over her stomach. She smiled politely and rested a foot on the base of the doorway, her toes curling.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Wednesday, Mrs. Finch. I’d like to have a word with you and Mr. Whittaker.”

“It’s Mrs. today, actually,” she corrected; Wednesday nodded. “And she’s out right now.”

“Will she back soon?”

“Yes, but-“

“I believe you’re familiar with a person by the name of Mr. World?” The woman froze, her eyes widening a fair amount before she attempted to pull a neutral expression, but Wednesday hummed and pursed his lips. “I thought you might.”

The woman reached for the green pendant hanging around her neck and chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Come in. Dani should be home in another ten minutes.”

The woman’s house was quaint and cozy, painted in warm colors and decorated with bookshelves, paintings, flowers, and framed photographs. Shadow spotted a gray cat weaving between the legs of a coffee table as he, Sweeney, and Wednesday, upon request, toed off their shoes by the front door. The door had immediately opened to a short entry, several wooden pegs attached to the wall with scarves and keys hanging over them. Beyond the entry was a small living room with a single couch, two padded rocking chairs, and broad windows that opened to one side of the house, allowing a view of the front yard dotted with yellow wildflowers. He could see a glimpse of a dining room through an open doorway behind the couch, but nothing other than a darkened hallway through the second doorway.

“Make yourselves at home,” said Mrs. Finch as she started towards the dining room. “I’ll be right back.”

Once she disappeared, Shadow turned to Wednesday, who had settled easily on the dark brown sofa, his feet already propped up on the coffee table. “So, I know you explained a little bit earlier, but-.” Shadow shook his head. “I’m still pretty fucking confused.”

“I’ll make it easy for ye,” Sweeney slurred, despite not having been (miraculously) blackout drunk for three days, “she’s a saint an’ her wife’s a cunt.”

“Okay?”

“No, ye dunce, an actual fuckin’ saint. She’s been beatified an’ canonized an’ bloody sanctified.” Sweeney gestured to one of the walls with his thumb, exasperated. “Or didn’t ye notice all the fuckin’ crosses?”

As a matter of fact, he hadn’t. Shadow looked to where Sweeney had pointed and noticed a handful of decorative crosses amidst what he guessed were family photographs. The woman returned then, however, drawing Shadow’s attention from a grainy picture of two women standing on a hill with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them.

“Dani’s on her way now,” she said, fidgeting with a cell phone that looked at least a decade old. “Do you want anything to eat?”

“Whatever you have is fine, my dear,” said Wednesday, offering Mrs. Finch the most charming smile he could manage, which was pretty damn charming.

Shadow, on the other hand, was still stuck on the saint portion of Sweeney’s explanation. He’d never been religious, but he knew enough from a onetime visit to a friend’s Sunday school service and Laura’s bitter rants about her shitty teenage church life to know what a goddamn saint was. He looked back at the wall of pictures and crosses, then glanced around the room.

“Don’t you have to be dead to be considered a saint?”

Sweeney leaned back against the couch, fingers tapping anxiously against his thigh. “Never said she wasn’t.”

When Mrs. Finch reentered the room, the sunlight caught on her face for a moment and Shadow could have sworn he felt something touch his soul. Her eyes, dark emerald and nut brown, locked with his and his confusion seemed to subside. His heart pounded steadily, evenly in his chest and Shadow smiled, his first genuine smile in what felt like a long time. Then the moment ended.

“I don’t have much,” she admitted, embarrassed, “so I hope you like cheese.”

She’d placed a plate of cheese and crackers on the table. Shadow tried to catch her eyes again, but she was too busy looking at the floor to see him.

“Could I possibly trouble you for a drink as well?” asked Wednesday, offering her another charming smile.

“Of course.”

“Did you guys see that?” Shadow asked when she left the room again. Sweeney and Wednesday looked at him, expectant and unamused. “When she came back in, she looked…”

Sweeney grinned. “She catch your fancy, lover boy?”

“No - I mean, she’s pretty, but that’s not what I meant. The light, like, caught on her face and… I don’t know, she looked different for a second.”

Wednesday rubbed his forefinger against his bottom lip. “Different how?”

Shadow hesitated, recalling the perfect image of the light arcing above her head. “I know it sounds stupid, but the light looked - well, it looked like a halo. Just for a second!”

Wednesday grumbled, then swiped a cracker from the plate and stood. “Well, fancy that,” he said, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at his lips.


End file.
